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Local track team receives grant from NFL's Falcons

Samose Mays had heard it was a long shot, but that didn’t drive him away from applying for a grant from the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation. In search of financial support for Sprint South Track and Field, a nonprofit AAU track club he founded in 2002, Mays sent in loads of paperwork associated with applying for the grant as quickly as he possibly could. He even woke up at 4 a.m. one morning to ensure he made it to Atlanta in time for a 9 a.m. one-hour meeting about writing the grant. Then, with the busy summer track season approaching, Mays turned his attention elsewhere and forgot about the possibility of securing the funds. But before he knew it, the Falcons phoned late last month to inform the coach his organization had been approved for a $5,000 grant. “Just to have sponsorship from the Falcons is a tremendous help,” Mays said. “That money is really going to assist with keeping this program going for years, and being able to work with the Falcons one-on-one is great. Utilizing their support is going to help the community in the long run.” Sprint South’s goal is giving area kids a positive outlet in life and an opportunity to showcase and improve their talent while increasing their exposure. That falls right in line with the objective of the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation - to help nonprofit organizations across Georgia reduce childhood obesity and improve youth fitness. Mays first learned of the Falcons grant over the winter when he was searching the Internet for different types of financial support. “I figured I’d give it a try even though a lot of people said it was almost impossible to get,” he said. “Everything is better now because of the grant.” The money, Mays said, will be used to help fund everything from equipment to better fund raisers and travel expenses. For more information on Sprint South Track and Field, go to www.sprintsouthtrack.com.

Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.

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